A Nudge in the Right Direction
by Goddess-of-the-Night04
Summary: Sequel to A Change in Perspective. Mycroft insists that Holmes and Watson return the BBC Sherlock DVDs to their rightful dimension. Watson has an idea of something else to send along, as well.


**Disclaimer:** I don't own any part of the BBC Sherlock world and am making no profit from this.

 **A/N:** This is not the sequel I ever imagined writing for A Change of Perspective. You do need to have read that first for this story to make sense. Sorry about that!

This idea was thrust upon me quite cunningly by Breath4Soul; their ideas ensnared my muse and it had to be written. By which I mean "thank you" (I turn in to a bit of the Sherlock sometimes).

It was definitely an odd challenge for me (much like the first part, actually), but I hope you can enjoy it.

* * *

"You can't keep them," Mycroft firmly tells the pair seated on the couch.

"Why would we _want_ to keep them?" Holmes asks irritably, "They are unsettling."

"And quite honestly, an inferior reality," Watson adds with a bit of a smirk.

Mycroft rolls his eyes and sighs heavily before holding his hand out, "Then give them to me."

"Does the government have some dimension jumping worm hole concealed in an office building some place?" Watson jokes while making no move to grab the DVDs, but Mycroft's face grows tight and Watson's face drops, "Oh my God, you bloody do."

"Just give them to me," Mycroft reiterates instead of confirming or denying.

"No need," Holmes challenges his brother, "we've got our own dimension jumping worm hole right here in our very own flat," he says with false excitement, gesturing towards their coffee table.

"There's no guarantee that it will work the other way," Mycroft insists, growing tired of the argument.

"Yes there is, things have been disappearing and reappearing since the discovery."

"What?" Watson asks in shock, turning to face the younger Holmes.

"I may have been accidentally leaving things in that exact spot and marking their progress," Holmes admits a bit ashamedly.

" _Accidentally_?" Watson intones with a quiet, yet very real, anger.

"It was for science!" Holmes argues, stepping up to the challenge.

"You _accidentally_ stumbled upon _science_?" Watson fires back. When the words finally register for both men, they begin to laugh at the ridiculousness.

"Good lord, you two are disgustingly domestic," Mycroft bemoans, making a show of turning his face from the pair in disgust.

"You're just jealous," Watson goads.

"Of sentiment? Hardly," Mycroft sniffs in derision.

"Oh," Holmes starts, lacing the fingers of his right hand with Watson's left, "it's not _all_ bad."

"Stop it now," Mycroft warns, looking at their joined hands as though they're an alarming threat.

"You could always just leave," Watson says innocently before bringing their joined hands to his lips to place a kiss on the back of Holmes'.

Mycroft's jaw clenches as his eyes flash with anger at the blatant attempt to manipulate him out of the flat.

"The DVDs _must_ go back," he orders seriously.

"They will," Holmes nods calmly.

"They've already caused enough change here," Mycroft continues, as though they don't realize the full implications of keeping them. As if they actually plan to do so.

"Oh please," Watson laughs, "like this wasn't inevitable from the start," he says of their fledgling relationship.

"It simply took this different perspective for us to realize that our feelings were, in fact, mutual," Holmes agrees.

That's when the idea takes hold in Watson's brain. It's so simple; why hadn't he thought of it before? He's so caught up in the idea that he hardly registers Mycroft finally leaving them alone in the flat.

"Tedious," Holmes intones tiredly once his brother is gone, letting go of Watson's hand and slouching back in to the couch. He lolls his head to the right to look at Watson's face, brow furrowing as he sees the excitement in his unfocused eyes. He sighs wearily, "No, Watson."

Watson's eyes finally focus on him with confusion, excitement diminished but not entirely gone, "No what?"

"Whatever you're thinking, no."

"But you don't even know what it is."

"If it makes you that quietly excited, it can't be good for me."

Watson grins lecherously, " _You_ make me that quietly excited. Has that not worked out well for you?" He purrs seductively.

Holmes groans at the poor come-on, but it's also tinged with the tiniest bit of interest as his traitorous cock agrees that it _has_ worked out quite well, "Well what was it then?" He asks instead.

Watson returns to his normal excitement, smiling at Holmes as he says, "If we're going to return the DVDs that finally changed the dynamic of our relationship, why don't we send one that will change theirs, too?"

"They're not us, love," Holmes intones with regret for them.

"All John Watsons love their Sherlock Holmes," he says with conviction, as though there is not a single doubt.

"You don't know that," Holmes calls him on his bluff.

"True," Watson concedes, but he smiles, "but I know those two, and they definitely do. They just need a nudge in the right direction like us, that's all."

Holmes looks in to the earnest face of his lover, still amazed that they've finally come together. He sees in Watson's eyes their years of combined longing and pain, and the glimmer of sadness that there is a version of them that has not yet gotten here. He desperately wants to help them, because that's what his doctor does: helps people.

Holmes sighs sadly while shaking his head, "You know what Mycroft would say, and I fear that he's right. We can't go messing with another timeline."

Watson's face falls in to a stern look of determination. His captain face, "We can't mess up their timeline with the revelation that they can be together; it's what's _meant_ to happen, you know it is."

Holmes smiles sadly and sits up fully. He grabs Watson's blessedly clean-shaven face in his hands and kisses him tenderly.

"I love you," Watson says intensely, locking eyes with the other man. It's not a tender declaration: it's proving a point.

"Ditto," Holmes says, because he sees the direction this is going.

"They deserve this, too."

"They _are_ us," Holmes reminds him.

"Then we're both well aware of how obstinate they're being. They helped us, now it's our turn to help them."

"But…" Holmes begins but is cut off by Watson's lips against his own. His resolve melts as he considers never having this aspect of their relationship. He had lied to himself for years by insisting that friendship and living together was enough. It wasn't even _close._ He pulls back far enough to agree, "Okay."

Watson pulls back fully to look at his face happily, "Yes?"

"When do we begin?" He asks, feigning a put-upon tone.

* * *

"Sherlock, what the hell is this?" John yells to his flatmate in the bathroom.

"I really dislike this game. Can we desist?" Sherlock shouts back through a mouthful of toothpaste.

John's reply is drowned out by the sound of running water as Sherlock rinses his mouth. The taller man enters the living room with a disgruntled look on his face.

"To what are you referring?" He asks petulantly.

John wordlessly holds up four DVD cases: the three missing case evidence ones from a few weeks back, and a plain case that has a post-it note on the front.

Sherlock looks confused as he snatches the last case from the other man's hands to read it. John merely rolls his eyes and places the other three cases in a different spot on the table.

 _To Sherlock and John,_

 _Watch them in order.  
Trust us._

 _\- H and W_

"The hell?" Sherlock asks as he opens the case. He finds four separate discs inside their own individual sleeves for safe keeping. They're numbered 1, 2: John, 2: Sherlock, and 3.

John is looking down at the case with the same confusion as Sherlock before they lock eyes, "Where did you find this?" Sherlock asks.

"On the corner of the coffee table," John answers while gesturing to the offending corner.

"How did these get back here? Who got in?"

"No one, I don't think; we would have noticed. But that doesn't explain…" he trails off, not needing or wanting to finish the sentence.

They look back down at the discs for a moment before Sherlock speaks up again, "So, shall we watch them, then?"

"What? You just want to…watch them?" John sounds scandalized.

"How else are we supposed to know what's on there?" he asks logically, honestly curious.

"Do we _want_ to know what's on there?" John retorts.

"You're not curious?" Sherlock asks, but they both know that's not the issue. The issue is…uncertainty. What could possibly be contained on these discs?

John nods silently in agreement and Sherlock removes the first disc before placing it in the DVD player. They sit on the couch to watch.

* * *

 _It's a bit wobbly at first while they get it settled, but finally Holmes and Watson are seated on the couch with the camera pointed towards them._

Sherlock and John both gasp and adopt horrified looks to find themselves staring back at them.

 _Holmes: "For the record, I really didn't think this was a good idea."_

 _Watson: "Oh shut it, we agreed it was for the best."_

 _[Holmes rolls his eyes but can't quite hide his affectionate smile]_

 _Watson: "Hello," he starts awkwardly, "Ummm…I know this is odd, so let me try to explain as quickly as possible…"_

 _Holmes: "We're from an alternate 2015 timeline - you can confirm that with Mycroft. Moriarty's DVDs made their way over to us about a week ago and, having watched them, we're now returning them with this added footage."_

 _Watson: "Holmes!" he groans, lowering his head briefly to his chest in exacerbation._

 _Holmes: "What? It was efficient!"_

 _Watson: "Sorry about him," he says sincerely in to the camera, then seems to think on it further before a smile blossoms, "Actually, I don't need to say that, do I? You_ _know."_

 _[Holmes rolls his eyes again and there's a bit of silence as they think about how to proceed]_

 _Watson: "So, what we're saying is that there's some kind of connection between our two dimensions where things are getting through. For us it's the bottom right corner of the coffee table, near the couch; not sure if it's the same for you."_

Sherlock and John turn matching looks of surprise on each other, wondering if they're somehow dreaming or…

 _Holmes: "It sounds ridiculous, I know," he draws their attention back to the telly, "but…it really is true. I've been leaving small things in that spot here, and mark as they disappear and reappear inexplicably."_

 _Watson: "For science!" he says with false enthusiasm which causes John to laugh. He knows that feeling._

 _Holmes: "As though it's a bad thing to keep my mind occupied."_

 _Watson: "Better than shooting the wall, I'll grant you."_

 _Holmes: "Anyway," he says, turning back to the camera, "we're each going to make separate videos for each of you now. I presume you can figure out who's supposed to watch which one seeing as we numbered and labeled each disc."_

 _Watson: "We'd suggest watching them alone versus together, but it's your choice."_

 _Holmes: His face comes closer to the camera, "On to the next," he says before the screen goes black._

Sherlock and John sit in a stunned silence for a minute before turning to each other.

"What…?" Is all John can manage to ask.

Sherlock shakes his head, "I don't know, it seems impossible."

"But it has to be true, doesn't it? I mean, how else could these discs exist?"

"They couldn't," Sherlock quietly agrees.

"So do we…watch them?"

" _Watch them?"_ Sherlock asks in shock.

John glares at him defensively, "Well, why not? What better way to understand the situation than to observe the evidence?"

"What if it alters the future?" He asks and then blushes at how idiotic it sounds.

John laughs before saying, "They're not showing us the future are they?"

"I don't know!" Sherlock says defensively.

John calms himself down to appease his friend, "Then let's watch them and find out," he insists calmly.

"Fine," he agrees tersely.

They each grab the second disc that contains their name and head to their separate bedrooms with their laptops. They figured that if these other versions of themselves thought it best not to watch them together, then they should probably listen.

* * *

John settles himself comfortably on the bed before inserting the disc into his hard drive. He sees Watson appear on the screen, seemingly filming in the same bedroom. It's surreal and disorienting, seeing one's self recording something in your location without it being you.

 _Watson: "Right. Hello, John."_

 _[pause]_

 _"Kind of weird to be talking to myself, actually, weirder than I thought this would be. I know what it's like for you; Holmes and I went through this with those DVDs of yours. You'll get used to it," he smiles reassuringly._

 _"Our Mycroft explained it all to us like this: they have well-guarded proof that multiple dimensions exist at once, having branched off from each other at different points. I don't know how many dimensions there are, or how many John Watson's and Sherlock Holmes' exist, but I suspect - having watched the two of you and knowing myself - that all of them are in love."_

John inhales sharply to hear it spoken aloud and reflexively looks towards his closed door, expecting to see Sherlock standing there. He's not.

 _"I know, we don't like to admit it aloud," he smiles sympathetically, "but you know you do. Truth is: having watched those DVDs, Holmes and I were forced to face our feelings and were finally able to admit that our love for each other was mutual. Your relationship with Sherlock opened our eyes to that, because you two clearly love each other._

 _"Our lives are slightly different, yours and mine, that's what makes our dimensions separate. I can only imagine how difficult it was losing Sherlock and then finding Mary…the conflict you must have felt upon his return - which, may I just say, your Sherlock is a bit of a twat? That reveal that he was still alive? Making a joke out of everything after that?"_

 _[Watson shakes his head with a sigh]_

 _"You must be a more patient man than me," he smiles, "even my Holmes was frustrated with him._

 _"Anyway…I met Mary on one of my first cases with Holmes and we were married up until she died of cancer shortly after Holmes faked his own death," he says sadly, "The pain was immense, almost unbearable, to have lost them both so close together. To be honest, I've forgotten most of that time; survival instinct, I think."_

 _[long pause - Watson appears lost in his own thoughts]_

 _[he shakes his head as though coming to]_

 _"Sorry, I didn't plan out what I was going to say so it's a bit random. Well, like I said: I can't imagine what it would have been like to have gone through it the way you did. I don't know where you stand with Mary - if you're still married, if you're in the process of divorce…if she's dead," he adds sadly, "but I can't imagine you thinking you're going to stay with her. Not after what she did to Sherlock," his eyes grow angry, "She shot him and she lied to you. Please tell me you didn't forgive that. I can't believe that you're capable of it, because I'm not."_

John feels the anger within his chest that he sees reflected on his own face, but at the same time he also feels vindicated. Part of him has wondered if he was being irrational choosing to take Mary down along with Moriarty instead of standing by her…to have essentially chosen Sherlock over his wife. He's glad to know his choice was right.

 _"You and Sherlock love each other," he says simply, changing course, "and I know how hard it is to trust that to be true, I really, really do," he smiles, "but I didn't realize what I had been missing by trying to refute it. It doesn't protect you, denying it: it makes you blind to the signs right in front of you. We've spent so much time watching Sherlock Holmes deduce everything under the sun, but he has an inexplicable blind spot for our feelings._

 _"He is, without a doubt, one of the most insufferable people I've ever met. He is rude and brilliant and sometimes overly-logical and he leaves body parts in the fridge and toxic experiments just lying around and I don't think I've eaten at the kitchen table in years because of the experiments on them and…" here his face takes on a wistful, besotted look, "he is mine._

 _"If you're anything like me – and I think we can agree you are – you've often found yourself wondering, in the moments you let yourself do so, if it could really work. If you could really handle all of that attention focused on you alone," here his smile turns coy, "I assure you that you can. And it is actually quite glorious and empowering."_

 _[pause]_

 _"I wanted to do this for you two – risking the wrath of Mycroft Holmes in the process – because you helped me and Holmes get here. I wanted you to know that it is not only possible, but it is worth it. So please, trust yourself twice over and just go kiss the idiot already."_

 _[Watson's face, split wide with a happy grin, comes closer to the camera]_

 _[the screen goes black]_

John lets his head fall back to his headboard and closes his eyes.

* * *

Sherlock settles against the headboard of his bed and starts his DVD. He is amused to see this other version of himself sitting in the same location.

 _Holmes: [heavy sigh] "I don't know what Watson is expecting me to do here, honestly. He thinks that because we finally got together after watching your DVDs that we owe it to the two of you - who are so ridiculously in love with each other that even_ _I_ _noticed - to return the favor."_

Holmes rolls his eyes and Sherlock swallows thickly, nervous. He has spent so long avoiding deducing John's feelings because he doesn't want to find them absent. But this is giving him hope, which is absolutely terrifying.

 _"I can't make you profess your feelings, and I can't convince you that your John's are true, but I guess I can attempt to break down your walls that you've built up for 'protection,'" he air quotes._

 _[deep breath - eyes closed - long exhale - eyes open]_

 _"I obviously don't know the precise moment that our timelines diverged or why, but judging by the numerous similarities between the two, I assume it wasn't until relatively recently, meaning we had the same childhood."_

Both men cringe at the thought.

 _"We had friends growing up, but we didn't really like them - found it tedious because we never really wanted to fit in to the mould society told us to. But we tried anyway," he smiles grimly, "tried to dumb ourselves down, tried to enjoy video games and sports, tried to like girls - hell, tried to like_ _anyone_ _\- tried to be normal," he sneers, "as if normal is actually something achievable or desirable._

 _[Holmes loses focus, lost in thought]_

 _"So we pushed everyone away, because it was easier to claim to hate people than to face their rejection of our true selves."_

 _They both feel the same ache in their chests._

 _"And then came John Watson."_

 _[long pause with a slight smile]_

 _"And he changed…_ _everything_ _. He accepted us straight off, even when we purposefully tested and pushed. He stayed._

 _"Here is where we start diverging for sure, I know this from watching your life. My Watson met Mary on one of our first cases instead of after we faked our death._

 _"By the way," his eyes harden seriously, "making him watch you jump? The hell was that about? I faked going over a waterfall while Watson's back was turned; still led him to believe I was dead, but not…not that."_

 _[pause as Holmes looks off to the side, as though collecting himself]_

 _"When I returned, Mary had died of cancer and Watson was alone; ready to forgive me. When you returned, John had just found her. I understand why you acted and did what you did before, during, after the wedding. If anyone does, it's me._

 _"I don't know if your John is still with Mary or if she's incarcerated - surely you've figured out by now that she's involved with Moriarty - or if she's dead. But no matter the circumstance, I assure you that John Watson is yours and not hers."_

Sherlock fights back another surge of hope.

 _"Our John Watson is a good man, in all dimensions, I assume. He has not forgiven Mary for shooting you and lying to him. You and John shoot other people to save the other, but her shooting you? That was her trying to protect herself, no matter what else she claimed it to be, and that's the difference."_

 _[pause as Holmes looks off to the side once more, gathering his thoughts for the last bit]_

 _[deep breath]_

 _"I can't make you confess your feelings to your John, but I can tell you this with certainty:_

 _"John Watson is the one we've been waiting for all of our life but never dared to hope actually existed._

 _"And he was worth waiting for."_

 _[the screen goes black]_

Sherlock exhales sharply, as though punched in the gut. He wants to deny the words, but he knows they're true. He wants to cry tears of joy at the calming release he feels, but he'd rather go work things out with "his John" as Holmes refers to him.

* * *

Sherlock arrives back in the living room just a few minutes before John discovers him there, pacing.

"Good video?" John asks timidly.

Sherlock stops his pacing to face him, ten feet separating them, "Enlightening," is all he says.

"Yeah, mine too," he agrees.

They stand awkwardly, waiting for the other to reveal what was so enlightening, but they're scared that somehow the message was different.

"Should we watch the last disc then?" Sherlock asks instead, ready to delete this entire day from his memory. The hope he had felt upon leaving his room has once again been replaced by fear and doubt.

"Yeah," John agrees, a bit disappointed. He wants to blurt out his feelings; grab his face and kiss him hard. It seemed so easy in his head as he allowed himself to imagine taking that final step, but reality is uncertain and Sherlock's face gives nothing away in the cold light of the day.

* * *

 _Holmes and Watson are back on the couch, looking as though they've just had a fantastic snog. They smile at the camera, their hands clearly entwined though they rest just out of the frame._

 _Watson: "Whether you watched discs two together or separate, I hope they helped."_

 _Holmes: "We can't force them in to a relationship," he chides the other man lightly._

 _Watson: "Not forcing," he tells Holmes honestly before turning back to the camera, "Opening your eyes to what you have, and hopefully opening your hearts to what you could."_

 _Holmes: He rolls his eyes, "Always the romantic."_

 _Watson: "Never more so than with you, love," he smiles at him, purposefully being overly sweet._

 _Holmes: "God help me! I've read your poetry to your girlfriends; I threw up a little in my mouth a couple times," he jokes._

 _Watson: "Oh shut it," he smirks before placing his right hand on the back of Holmes' neck and drawing his face forward for a kiss._

 _They pull back, smiling at each other before seeming to remember that they're recording._

 _Watson: Turns back to the camera with an embarrassed smile, "Sorry, maybe that was a bit much, especially if you haven't talked about your separate discs yet."_

 _Holmes: "I'm sure they haven't," he says to the camera, "but you really should. Trust me," he says with a significant look towards where Sherlock is sitting, as if he knows he's there._

Sherlock's stomach drops.

 _Watson: "We should probably let you talk things through. Good luck!"_

 _[Watson smiles reassuringly at the camera - Holmes nods meaningfully at Sherlock again]_

 _[the screen goes black]_

"They look really happy," John says quietly, still facing forward.

"Yes," Sherlock agrees timidly.

John finally looks over at Sherlock, and the other man can't help but meet his gaze. For what feels an eternity, they simply attempt to read each other's minds, willing the other to speak first.

"Why are you so afraid?" John finally asks sadly, "Can't you see that they're right, genius?" the joke comes across as weak since he couldn't even muster the hint of a smile to go with it.

Sherlock shakes his head, "You're different; you always have been."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"I'm…frightened to examine you too closely."

"Frightened of what?" John asks in honest shock.

Sherlock looks like he doesn't want to voice it, but he can't bring himself to look away, either, "Of what I won't find."

He does look down after saying the words, unable to look John in the eye and see his shock and disgust. The same fear that has kept him from deducing John's feelings all along.

John feels a wave of sadness wash through him to realize how vulnerable the other man truly is. How could he have never seen it before?

Suddenly there's a hand below his chin, gently guiding his eyes back to John's. There are no words exchanged, just John showing him the love that he has felt for ages and Sherlock struggling not only to process it, but to believe it, as well.

Sherlock's brow creases in uncertainty, so John slowly moves his face towards his with clear intent, hand still on his chin to steady them both. John is giving him time to realize what's going on and back away; he's taking the risk to finally clear things up. It suddenly becomes vitally important to Sherlock that he take an active role in these proceedings to show his absolute willingness, so he surges forward, eyes closed, and relishes the quiet moan that John makes.

The touch of lips is electric - dizzying. John moves his hands to frame Sherlock's face and pull him yet closer. It is a kiss full of love and need and speaks volumes of time wasted.

"How long could we have been doing this for?" John asks.

"Since you shot the cabbie for me," Sherlock admits.

"Dammit," John swears, angry at having overlooked the signs that things had changed. He just kept remembering that conversation at Angelo's where he said he wasn't looking for anything.

He growls as he claims Sherlock's lips again, this time hungry, insistent, _claiming_. The younger man whimpers and submits just enough to silently express his acceptance.

* * *

About a week after sending the DVDs back to the other dimension, Holmes notices a post-it note on the corner of the coffee table that hadn't been there previously.

He lifts it, reads it. Holmes smiles before going to deliver the news to Watson in the bath, the post-it floating to another portion of the table without his awareness.

 _To Holmes and Watson,_

 _Thank you for your assistance.  
All is as it should be now._

 _ **Finally**_ _[clearly Sherlock Holmes' scrawl]_

 _Hope you two are still doing well._

 _Love,  
S and J_

* * *

 **A/N:** As always, I would love to hear your thoughts via comment or constructive criticism!

Follow me on Tumblr at goddess-of-the-night04 for an easy way to keep up with any new stories from me or just to chat; I'd love hear from you :)


End file.
